Original Item: One of a Kind. This is a very nice 1st Model Luftwaffe Dagger, made by the desirable maker E. & F. Hörster, Waffenfabrik of Solingen, Germany. The matte Aluminum fittings indicate that it was made in sometime after 1938. Previous to this, the mounts had been of alloy brass or nickel, but Aluminum was an "Air Age" material, which was used to make most airplanes. It was considered fitting and desirable for the mounts to be made of this, and the later 2nd model continued to use aluminum as well.

The aluminum mounts defy all age and remain nice and mostly bright, with a fine matte finish, showing light wear. The pommel has virtually all of the original gilding intact on the "Broken Sun Cross" swas medallions, and the same is true on the cross guard, though there is some denting to the insignia. The guard is the standard down swept "wing" type, with good detailing. The rim of the pommel shows some small dents and scratches but nothing major. The grip is a carved wood base covered in blue Moroccan leather, which is still in great shape, with no wear through we can see. It is wrapped with a skein of 4 aluminum wires, with the center pair twisted, though there has been some damage to the wires in places.

The 12 1/4 inch blade of this piece is a high quality nickel-plated steel example, and is in very good condition, showing light overall wear and swirl markings from cleaning / polishing. There is the usual runner wear on the blade flats, and some scuffing as well. The plating is almost fully retained, with just a bit of wear through from the runners, and it shows speckled light oxidation, only visible in the light. The original factory unsharpened edge is intact, and the tip has just the tiniest bend on the end.

The reverse ricasso of this dagger is acid etched with maker name E. & F. HÖRSTER / SOLINGEN in an oval "lozenge" around ;the company's trademark downward pointing sword piercing interlocking HHS initials. E. & F. Hörster & Co Gmbh, is a well-known maker from Solingen, the famous "City of Blades" in Western Germany, which marketed many fine edged weapons. Originally founded in 1850 as "Friedrich Hörster" in 1850, the company was renamed to E. & F. Hörster in 1870 at the behest of Friedrich Emil & Fritz Hörster. The firm lasted long after WWII, finally being declared insolvent in 1996. For more information please see GERMAN KNIFE AND SWORD MAKERS by J. Anthony Carter.

The magnetic scabbard shell is straight throughout with no dents. The Moroccan leather covering the scabbard nicely matches the grip does show wear and bruising, but no tearing or removal of the finish. The leather seams are still tight, and is on the lower edge of the scabbard. The mounts on this scabbard are all matte aluminum, and are still very attractive and only have a bit of minor denting and scratching. These mounts are retained by headless flush mounted side screws, all of which are still present.

The attached aluminum chain has six ringlets making up the upper chain and nine on the lower. These two chains are attached to an aluminum snap clip, which is marked on the back with the OLC in a diamond trademark of Overhoff & Cie. of Lüdenscheid, who produced numerous clothing accessories. It is also marked GES. / GESCHÜTZT, for Gesetzlich Geschutzt (Protected By Law), indicating that the clip was a trademarked design.

A very nice example of the classic 1st model Luftwaffe dagger by a very desirable maker, ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 12 1/4"
Overall length: 18”
Crossguard: 4 1/4”
Scabbard Length: 13 1/2”